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He shook against me, his body tense, and then his hands slid around ainst my neck

“I need you,” he whispered “So much So damn much”

He jerked his head up, and then his hands were inme until I was forced to look into his eyes

“I love you, Monroe God, I’ve never felt this way about a girl but…I just…there’s so much shit and I don’t kno to deal with it, and Trevor…he…”

Nathan rested his forehead against mine, and for a few moments, we breathed into each other

For the first time in forever, I felt settled—which was crazy And yet, it felt as if all the pieces ofto find their way back, had finally clicked into place

I here I was supposed to be, and sure I was battered and had been beaten down, but I had h and I hole I hole and I was alive and I was in love with a boy asn’t quite there yet A boy who had held otten me to this place

“I need you to not do this any, like you were for ive yourself”

“He could die,” Nate whispered “I kneas a possibility, but I never thought…I thought he was going to wake up I thought he was going to wake up and giveI didn’t think he would just…end”

“I know”

“I don’t knohat to do anyry and I hate ht Over and over I relive it, you know? And it drives me crazy because I can’t re, and I don’t kno to get past that”

“Let me help you, Nathan”

His voice broke “How?”

Carefully, I pulled his hand into mine and stepped back “Do you trust me?” Did I trust irl who had gone to therapy for over a year because I’d been so broken The girl who had cut her wrists because she didn’t want to deal

And yet, as I looked into his eyes, I had